Questions and Answers - Nationwide IDIQ Seismic Structral Engineering Services - 47PB0123R0002_10192022.pdf

Questions and Answers: Notice ID: 47PB0123R0001 Page 1 of 5

Questions and Answers:

Nationwide IDIQ Seismic Structural Engineering Services

(Notice ID: 47PB0123R0002)

Q1. Under criteria II, the solicitation states, “At least five (5) years demonstrated experience of design of new high rise buildings (IBC definition).” Will GSA consider plan review/code compliance experience of new high-rise buildings to be responsive to this element, or does the GSA wish to see that they were the engineer of record for new high-rise buildings?

Ans: Provide what you consider to be applicable experience and describe how/why you believe that it applies to this announcement.

Q2. Does the SF330 page limit of 30 pages exclude the Part II forms for the prime and any subconsultants?

Ans: The 30-page limit applies to both parts I & II in their entirety.

Q3. Will the Government please confirm that SF330 Part II is not included in the 30-page limit?

Q4. If firms provide CPARS/PPQs of select past projects to demonstrate Past Performance (Criteria IV), will these CPARS/PPQ pages be excluded from the 30- page limitation?

Ans: No.

Q5. Will the Government please confirm that cover page(s) and tabs/divider pages are not included in the 30-page limit?

Ans: Cover pages and/or dividers can be excluded from the 30-page limitation.

Q6. Under Project Description, the list of types of work required for this contract includes, “Seismic resistant design, including associated progressive collapse analysis.” Can you please confirm that “associated progressive collapse analysis,” is not part of the scope of the Seismic Structural Engineering Services contract?

Ans: The reasoning for requiring progressive collapse design under the seismic contracts is that the two design methods can have an impact on a structure's performance relative to each other. The Government wants firms that have both capabilities in order to manage situations where both structural requirements may be necessary.

Q7. The Submission of Qualifications section states that qualifications are to be submitted by email.

However, this section also references information to be included on the outside of a sealed envelope.

Can you please confirm our submission should be made via email?

Ans: All submissions will be done through email.

Questions and Answers: Notice ID: 47PB0123R0001 Page 2 of 5

Q8. Under Submission of Qualifications: The Submission of Qualifications paragraph lists that the Standard Form 330 response to be emailed but, later in the same paragraph, it discusses a sealed envelope and paper sizes. Please verify that the documents are to be emailed. If hard copies are to be mailed, please provide the overnight delivery address.

Ans: All submissions will be done through email.

Q9. Per the solicitation, contractors are required to submit SF330 responses via email. Since hardcopy submittals are not required, will the Government please consider striking the following statement from the solicitation, and clarify whether contractors may include this information on the cover or title page in lieu of an envelope: “The following information shall be on the outside of the sealed envelope(s): 1) Solicitation Number/Title, 2) Due Date and, 3) Closing Time.”

Ans: GSA does not want a hardcopy; all submission will be submitted electronically through email. It would be helpful if you put in the email subject line the Notice Number: 47PB0123R0002 and Title, this helps us to not miss firm's email.

Q10. The RFQ states that each contractor shall specify which geographic zone they are capable of performing services within. The RFQ also states that the team must demonstrate the capability to work nationally. Is it accurate to conclude that the contractor would perform the full scopes of services described only within their specified zone, and that the capability to work nationally refers to the capacity to mobilize for post disaster assessments?

Ans: Yes

Q11. Can the contractor provide cost estimating in-house if they are relatively experienced in doing so, or would GSA prefer a professional cost estimator as a sub-consultant.

Q12. To allow contractors adequate time to submit a thorough, compliant, and comprehensive SF330 response, will the Government consider extending the proposal due date to November 22?

Ans: No, we will not be extending the time to submit SF330 - Architect-Engineer Qualifications.

Q13. For CRITERIA II, the RFQ requests shown competence with “Structural Testing.” Please clarify if you are looking for experience developing materials testing programs and working with contractors to perform the testing, or if you are looking for us to do the actual physical testing.

Ans: Testing is not typically required except to understand existing conditions. Technical studies may involve recommendations that include testing. The SF330 should provide the extent of testing capability. This could include both the capability to perform testing and to develop testing programs.

Q14. For CRITERIA IV, the RFQ requests “Evidence of previous project management performance, quality control, coordination, scheduling and cost control.” Please clarify if you are seeking copies of actual CPAR/PPQ evaluations, and if so, will providing those be counted within the 30-page limit for our SF 330 response, or will they be allowed and considered as being “any supplemental information necessary to further address the selection criteria?”

Ans: This information should be included within the 30-page limit.

Questions and Answers: Notice ID: 47PB0123R0001 Page 3 of 5

Q15. For SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS, the RFQ states “One copy of the SF 330 submission is required.

The SF 330 shall have a page limit of 30 pages.” Please confirm that a cover letter and table of contents are allowed, and if they too will be counted in the 30-page limit. Or is the 30-page limit only applicable to the SF 330 Parts I and II components of our response, with cover letter, table of contents, and other supplemental information being allowed and considered if inclusion of such results in our response totaling more than 30 pages overall?

Ans: The 30-page limit pertains to submittal content and not extraneous information such as table of contents, etc... Information outside of the 30-page limit will not be considered in the evaluation.

Q16. For SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS, the RFQ states “The following information shall be on the outside of the sealed envelope(s): 1) Solicitation Number/Title, 2) Due Date and, 3) Closing Time.”

Understanding that formal responses are due on or before 12:00 p.m. ET on November 7 by email, are we to include all that information in our email subject line and/or attached file naming protocol, or does GSA also want a single hard copy provided to its office? If a physical copy is also required, will GSA allow for it to be submitted after the 12:00 p.m. November 7 close for emailed responses?

Ans: GSA does not want a hardcopy, all submission will be submitted electronically through email. It would be helpful if you put in the email subject line the Notice Number: 47PB0123R0002 and Title, as to not missing firms submission email.

Q17. Will GSA allow for joint ventures of two small businesses that meet the requirement of combined average annual revenues within the set-aside threshold of $22.5 million or less to compete for an award of this IDIQ contract?

Ans: Formal joint ventures are treated the same as firm teaming arrangements.

Q18. Stemming from the sources sought and in anticipation of this solicitation, our firm has a longstanding strategic partnership that we’ve endeavored to proffer as a formal joint venture to GSA for this IDIQ.

This partnership has been successful and effective in supporting GSA through a nationwide set-aside multidiscipline A/E IDIQ that has been utilized at significant levels of its capacity and inclusive of structural/seismic engineering. Would GSA consider relaxing the residency requirement cited in Factor III to allow for a joint venture partnership of two firms that are each located in a different zone, yet are able to fulfill the envisioned role and scope for a potential contract award in one of the three geographic zones?

Ans: The announcement will not be revised. Respond in accordance with the wording in the announcement.

Formal joint ventures are treated the same as firm teaming arrangements.

Q19. Our office borders near one region that is outside of the geographic zone in which we have our base office operations per your solicitation requirements. That means some of our key personnel technically reside in a region that would be outside of the geographic zone of our pursuit, but they are based out of an office that is within the geographic zone. Will GSA consider lifting the “must physically reside in the geographic zone” requirement cited in Criteria III: Capabilities of Firm?

Ans: The announcement will not be revised. Respond in accordance with the wording in the announcement.

Q20. Is an Affiliate office of its Small Business parent company regarded similarly to a branch office of a Small Business company?

Questions and Answers: Notice ID: 47PB0123R0001 Page 4 of 5

Q21. The solicitation specifies that the SF 330 shall have a page limit of 30 pages (as specified under the heading "Submission of qualifications"). Shall the page limit include or exclude Part H and Part II?

Including Part H and Part II may be difficult in the 30-page limit.

Q22. The solicitation includes the following partial sentence (under the heading "Submission of qualifications") "SF 330, Parts I and II, including any supplemental information necessary to further address the selection criteria." Can you clarify the meaning of this sentence?

Ans: Teams may wish to include information regarding capabilities that demonstrate additional value to their submission as it pertains to the content of the announcement. Such information must be included within the 30-page limit.

Q23. The solicitation specifies that firms are invited to respond by email (as specified under the heading "Submission of qualifications"). However, a later sentence in the same paragraph specifies that "The following information shall be on the outside of the sealed envelope. . ." Is a hard copy of the submission required in addition to the email copy? If so, what address shall be used for the hard copy, and what is the due date for the hard copy?

Ans: GSA does not want a hardcopy, all submission will be submitted electronically through email. It would be helpful if you put in the email subject line the Notice Number: 47PB0123R0002 and Title, this helps

Q24. For CRITERIA II, the RFQ requests shown competence with “Structural Testing.” Please clarify if you are looking for experience developing materials testing programs and working with contractors to perform the testing, or if you are looking for us to do the actual physical testing.

Ans: Testing is not typically required except to understand existing conditions. Technical studies may involve recommendations that include testing. The SF330 should provide the extent of testing capability. This

Q25. For CRITERIA IV, the RFQ requests “Evidence of previous project management performance, quality control, coordination, scheduling and cost control.” Please clarify if you are seeking copies of actual CPAR/PPQ evaluations, and if so, will providing those be counted within the 30-page limit for our SF 330 response, or will they be allowed and considered as being “any supplemental information necessary to further address the selection criteria?”

Ans: This information should be included within the 30-page limit.

Q26. For SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS, the RFQ states “One copy of the SF 330 submission is required.

The SF 330 shall have a page limit of 30 pages. “Please confirm that a cover letter and table of contents are allowed, and if they too will be counted in the 30-page limit. Or is the 30-page limit only applicable to the SF 330 Parts I and II components of our response, with cover letter, table of contents, and other supplemental information being allowed and considered if inclusion of such results in our response totaling more than 30 pages overall?

Ans: The 30-page limit pertains to submittal content and not extraneous information such as table of contents, etc... Information outside of the 30-page limit will not be considered in the evaluation.

Questions and Answers: Notice ID: 47PB0123R0001 Page 5 of 5

Q27. For SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS, the RFQ states “The following information shall be on the outside of the sealed envelope(s): 1) Solicitation Number/Title, 2) Due Date and, 3) Closing Time.”

Understanding that formal responses are due on or before 12:00 p.m. ET on November 7 by email, are we to include all that information in our email subject line and/or attached file naming protocol, or does GSA also want a single hard copy provided to its office? If a physical copy is also required, will GSA allow for it to be submitted after the 12:00 p.m. November 7 close for emailed responses?

Ans: GSA does not want a hardcopy, all submission will be submitted electronically through email. It would be helpful if you put in the email subject line the Notice Number: 47PB0123R0002 and Title, this helps

Q28. How old can the projects in section E and F be?

Ans: Project age is not limited however more recent experience that can be directly associated with proposed staffing will be regarded as more appropriate to the team's qualifications.

Q29. If we would like to submit for more than one zone, do we need to submit a separate proposal for each zone or just one proposal and indicate within which zones we are submitting for?

Ans: Each team should only submit a single SF330.

Q30. Is it required for a firm to be on the GSA schedule to respond to this solicitation?

Ans: No, a firm does not need to be on the GSA Schedule to respond. However, a firm should have an active registration within SAM.gov to be awarded a contract.

Q31. Without proper structural drawings, the building is often not entirely accessible for investigations. For example, the foundations can not be accessed for their dimensions and reinforcement. Are the Engineers supposed to assume the values the best of their judgments?

Ans: Situations such as described do occur and are handled on a case by case basis.

Q32. What structural tests are expected to be performed?

Ans: Testing is not typically required except to understand existing conditions. Technical studies may involve recommendations that include testing. The SF330 should provide the extent of testing capability. This

Q33. Are destructive tests such as core drilling allowed?

Ans: This solicitation is for AE services.